Sponsors (3)
The bill directs targeted federal support to grow midwifery education and clinical training—improving access in underserved areas and reducing student barriers—but the overall funding is modest and rigid allocation rules (plus exclusions for some nursing‑based programs) are likely to limit the initiative's scale and flexibility.
Rural and low-income communities: increased local access to maternity care because grants expand and create midwifery and nurse‑midwifery programs and prioritize placements in Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Students in accredited midwifery and nurse‑midwifery programs: direct financial support and training assistance reduce tuition and other education barriers.
Students, clinical sites, and the workforce pipeline: funding to recruit and prepare qualified preceptors expands clinical training capacity, speeding placements and time to graduation to produce more midwives.
Nationwide pregnant people, students, and underserved communities: overall authorizations are modest (section-level amounts of roughly $15M and $20M cited), so funding is unlikely to be large enough to resolve national midwife shortages or fully meet demand — many programs may remain unfunded.
Schools, state program managers, and local communities: mandated funding allocations and specific percentage splits limit the ability to reallocate funds where demand shifts, reducing programmatic flexibility to address local needs.
Students and nursing schools: an explicit prohibition on funding midwifery programs housed within schools of nursing could exclude existing programs, slow scale‑up, and limit training capacity.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates two HHS grant programs to expand midwifery and nurse‑midwifery education, prioritize training for shortage areas, and authorizes $35M for FY2026–2030.
Creates two new HHS competitive grant programs to expand midwifery and nurse‑midwifery education and clinical training. One program (under Title VII) funds institutions of higher education to support students in accredited midwifery schools/programs, build or expand midwifery schools/programs (excluding programs that are inside schools of nursing), and increase the number of qualified preceptors; another program (under Title VIII) gives grants to schools of nursing to support students in accredited nurse‑midwifery programs, expand those programs, and recruit/prep preceptors. Together the bills authorize $35 million total for FY2026–FY2030 ($15M for the Title VII program and $20M for the Title VIII program). Each program requires grant funds to be split: 50% for direct student support, 25% for program establishment/expansion, and 25% for preceptor support. Grants must prioritize applicants committed to training students who will practice in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas and applicants that recruit and retain rural and economically disadvantaged students.
Introduced December 3, 2025 by Ashley Hinson · Last progress December 3, 2025